"Organized chronologically and thematically, Encounters with the People is an edited, annotated compilation of unique primary sources related to Nez Perce history--Native American oral histories, diary excerpts, military reports, maps, and more. Generous elders shared carefully-guarded stories, beginning with early Nimiipuu/Euro-American contact and extending through the Treaty of 1855 held at Walla Walla. The editors scoured archives, federal repositories, and museums in search of documents related to regional cultural and environmental history--most published for the first time or found only in obscure sources."--Publisher's description.